Practice makes perfect?Experts are studying the brain to discover if performers, athletes and others can master a skill by using electrodes in the brain. Studies have shown that it takes 10,000 hours of conventional practice to become a Roger Federer or a Joshua Bell. New Scientist has the story.

Metropolitan Museum of Art gets a new plazaCarol Vogel writes in the New York Times that the mighty Met needs a makeover on its front porch.

"More than 40 years after its last makeover, the plaza in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
is showing its age: the fountains are leaking, the sidewalk is
crumbling, and the trees are dying. Overcrowding on the institution’s
grand front steps — one of the most popular meeting places in Manhattan —
often causes bottlenecks for visitors trying to get to the front door.

"Now an ambitious plan is in the works to transform this four-block-long
stretch along Fifth Avenue, from 80th to 84th Street, into a more
efficient, pleasing and environmentally friendly space, with new
fountains, tree-shaded allées, seating areas, museum-run kiosks and
softer, energy-efficient nighttime lighting."